


Tomorrow Will Come

by rainingcatsandkisses



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Lots of kissing, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, ladrien, marinette knows, oh boy does Adrien like to kiss his girl's neck, these kids are too fun to write about tbh, this is shameless sinning i'm sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5769172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainingcatsandkisses/pseuds/rainingcatsandkisses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette knows that knowing Chat's identity is unfair, but when the stupid cat is kissing her, she kind of stops thinking about it</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sinner, this is sin, i am going to hell
> 
> (aka i'm emotionally drained and this is how i cope. by sinning)

Later, Marinette would remember the entire scene. The heat, the blushing, the extreme embarrassment and desire she would feel. But right here, right now?  
All she knew was that she wanted that stupid leather suit out of the way. She wanted to touch. She wanted to feel.  
Feel him. Feel Chat Noir. Feel Adrien.  
That thought made her pause for a sliver of a second. It hadn’t really been her fault when she’d discovered his secret. She felt awful knowing his when she wouldn’t let him know hers. But her gut doesn’t lie, and neither do kwamis, because she’d seen the tiny black cat fly out of Chat Noir-Adrien’s ring. She’d seen the flash of green light from the roof she was swinging across, sure she’d seen her partner go the other direction. She’d seen her beloved partner and long term crush’s detransformation, and that definitely doesn’t lie.  
So why did she feel like the liar?  
Oh right. The leather suit that he was wearing, and the sweater and shorts that she was wearing. Chat Noir, the Hero of Paris, pinning Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the civilian to a wall. Only Marinette was also Ladybug, who Chat flirted with continuously, and Marinette knew that Chat was Adrien, who she could barely say three words to, and who she was clinging to desperately, even though he said he loved Ladybug, and yet here he was kissing Marinette, which means he has feelings for her right? But he hasn’t done anything as Adrien. This was too confusing. Better just resume kissing the stupid cat.  
“Chat…” she groaned, grasping at the offending suit. Her fingers slipped off the black leather, instead winding around his shoulders because God knows she wouldn’t be able to stand for much longer if he kept this up.  
One of his hands was lost, tangled in her hair, the other tilting her chin up and away, and Marinette could feel his soft hair on her cheek as the idiot of cat sucked away merrily on the skin just above her collarbone.  
“If you leave a mark, i swear to god…” She mumbled into his hair as he bit her, her arms tightening slightly at the feeling. They had to loosen as Chat raised his head, the perpetual smirk on his face as he grinned up at her.  
“I hope you have concealer, princess,” he laughed as she turned bright red, unwinding one of her hands to touch at the faint red hickie on her collar bone. She couldn’t see it, but the way Chat’s eyes lit up with mirth when her fingers touched were he had just been kissing was answer enough. She frowned, and his smile faltered.  
It was good to see she could still take control.  
Chat started to lower his head to her mouth again before Marinette took his arms and spun him around, pulling and pushing so that his back was against the wall and he was on his knees. He stared up at her, mouth agape and eyes wide in shock, and she laughed. His mouth closed then.  
“You’re making fun of me.” He said sullenly, eyes never once leaving her face. She knelt before him, one hand on his cheek.  
“You’re letting me make fun of you.” She answered, a light in her eyes, before surging forward and connecting their lips together. It was hot, and messy, but her heart beat faster and she gripped his arm with her other hand, pushing him against the wall. He reached out with a groan, tilting his head to allow her more access and clasping his arms at her hips. She kissed him until she was out of breath, and then she leaned her head back, panting, a grin on her lips. Chat looked dazed, and Marinette wondered at how she could do this to the flirty cat. To Adrien.  
She blushed, suddenly, and ducked her head into Chat’s chest. He flinched, suprised, and then wrapped her up in a hug. A silence hung between them, broken only by heavy breaths as the two teenagers tried to get their breaths back. Chat seemed too startled by her take over to crack any puns. She grinned against the leather suit. Marinette liked reducing this boy to a mess. She should do it more often.  
A loud beeping sound rang out, and Marinette pulled back, getting to her feet. “Your time is running out, kitty cat.” She said, a small grin on her lips. Chat looked at his ring, a frown on his face, before looking at her. She reached her hand out, clasping his and pulling him to his feet. She tried to pull her hand away, but he kept it, looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. His ring beeped again.  
“Alright kitty, this princess has to go finish her homework now.” Chat Noir nodded, still silent. Marinette paused for only a moment before reaching out and bringing his face down to hers, planting a kiss on his nose. “You can visit me tomorrow Chat Noir. If you want to.” Chat grinned, taking one of her hands in his own and kissing it, his classic smirk once more on his face.  
“I may just take you up on that, Purrincess. But tomorrow is a very long way away.”  
Should she tell him? It wasn’t fair on him, it wasn’t fair on her. It wasn’t fair.  
“Tomorrow will come, Chat Noir.”  
Not fair.  
“I’ll see you then, kitty.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wonders if she can illicit the same response from Chat Noir as Adrien and realizes something very important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is two weeks late but I had finals, so can you really blame me? 
> 
> Chapter 3 is a lot longer than this one, but hopefully i'll have it posted by next sunday, so stay tuned
> 
> also i'm a sinner and this is sin

     It had been two days. Two days since Chat had snuck into Marinette’s life with a smirk and left with kiss-bruised lips. Two days for her to prepare for Two days for her guilt to sky-rocket because she knew the reason why Ladybug’s and Chat’s teamwork was a little off, and yet his eyes were more full of light than she’d ever seen them. Two days of her not telling him what she knew.  
     She hadn’t been able to see him at all this weekend, at least as Marinette. Friday evening had her over at Alya’s, and Saturday she’d been working in the bakery all day and had pretty much passed out as soon as she got to bed, only waking up for patrol. Patrol was awkward in general that weekend. Every time there was a lull in a conversation, or a fight, or whatever, Chat would get a little smirk on his face, and Marinette was willing to bet it was him thinking of her kisses. Chat was staring off into the distance, a small smile on his face, and she was staring at him, trying to connect the dots between the flirty Chat Noir and the groomed Adrien Agreste.  
They do have the same hair color, she mused, and their builds are exactly the same. Their personalities are different, if you look at them from a distance. The similarities are there only if you peer closely. The grin he made when something funny happened. The look in his eyes when he was about to make a pun was the same look he got when Nino made one. His selflessness, and loyalty. The warm feeling he gave off. Marinette wondered if there were obvious similarities between her and Ladybug. The hair was a clear one, she was sure, but a lot of young girls wore their hair like Ladybug. Chat had to have some guesses, right? Maybe she should ask. For once, she wants to push this. She wants to end this guilt of knowing.  
     “My lady?” she starts, pulled out of her thoughts. Chat Noir is staring at her, concern etched on his face.  
     “I’m fine Chat, just...thinking.”  
     “About me?” he asks with a grin, but it’s a small one, a very un-Chat-like grin, and Marinette can feel the guilt gnaw at her heart.  
     “About our secret identities.” The grin freezes, and he tilts his head. “I mean, we’ve been working together, fighting evil, for over a year. If there’s anyone I can trust, it’s you.”  
     “You want to reveal your identity?” Chat’s eyes are wide, and he looks almost...frightened.  
     “Not necessarily.” Ladybug shrugs, taking a step in Chat’s direction. “If my alternate identity gets leaked by someone overhearing us, Hawkmoth could use that information against me, threaten my family, my friends. I can’t put them in such a dangerous situation. My best friend already puts herself in trouble trying to get a picture of us for her blog.” The first hint. she thinks. She takes another step.  
     Chat’s ears pitch forward. “What are you suggesting, my Lady?”  
    “I’m just saying. If you were to guess my identity I would assume you wouldn’t tell anyone, right?”  
    “Of course not.” He looked offended.  
    “And if I, hypothetically, figured out your identity, I wouldn’t tell anyone either.”  
    “Are you saying we should actively try and guess each other’s civilian lives? On purpose?” Ladybug stepped a tiny step closer.  
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I want you to find out who I am. We’ll make it a game! Whoever finds out first wins!”  
    Chat grinned hesitantly. “And what, do tell my Lady, is the prize for winning?” Ladybug turned to the side and waved her hand.  
    “I’m sure we can figure that out when the time comes, right kitty?” He chuckled and looked away, leaning against the wall of a chimney. “Do you have any ideas already?” He' didn’t reply, staring off once again out across the Parisian skyline. She took another step. “Chat?”  
    “Maybe. I have a guess. There’s this girl that reminds me of you sometimes.” Ladybug perked up and hopped a little closer.  
    “Oh? Is she cute?”  
    “Very. And strong, and smart, and brave. She always stands up to those who are wrong, and I admire her for that. She’s also stubborn. She’s a little bit like you, I guess.”  
      Marinette grinned. “Are you placing your bets on this girl of yours then?” Chat turned to her and blinked, seeming to notice the close proximity she had slowly been putting between them at last.  
     “Like I said, it’s only a guess. It’s probably impossible...with my...luck.” His gaze flicks down to her feet and up, pausing at the smirk on her lips. They were only inches apart, and she could see every movement of his eyes, the way his chest hitched when his breath caught in his throat, the blush that extended across his cheekbones. Her kitty is flustered at her closeness, and Marinette marvels at the ways she can reduce this boy to a mess. Her own eyes flicker to his lips, widening at an idea.  
     “I wonder…” she whispers, and Chat’s gulp is audible.  
     “Lady?” he murmurs, and she wants to laugh. _Can I get the same response from him as Ladybug as I did as Marinette?_ Her gloved hand strays to his arm, pushing it against the wall in an all-too-familiar way, and leans up. Her nose brushes his for only a moment, pausing to let him push away if he wanted to.  
     He doesn’t, and she kisses him.  
     He makes a noise that might have been surprise, if she was completely honest. Even though she’d let him have the chance to pull away, it seemed as if he hadn’t expected it. She presses against him, and all of a sudden it’s like a light switches on. He kisses back and reaches around, lightly holding her, as if what he held would break at a given second.  
     Now that wouldn’t do.  
     Marinette opened her eyes and peered at the wall behind Chat’s shoulder. A grin slipped into the kiss and she pushed a little. Chat complied, stepping back to balance the weight, but she pushes back again, and again, and he gasps when his back hits the wall. She reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck, smiling into his mouth. He murmurs something into hers, but she doesn’t understand him. Instead, she licks his lips, and he groans into her mouth in a way that makes Marinette’s chest tighten and her body warm in places that were entirely inappropriate. Her fingers run through the hair at the nape of his neck, and she smiles again. Chat moves his thigh between hers, stepping forward so that he was tilting her, deepening the kiss. This was what she wanted.  
     Chat pauses, suddenly, and Marinette looks at him, studying his face. Chat’s green eyes snap open, focusing on hers for a moment, and she see something akin to recognition fly across his features before he blinks and pushes her away, casting his eyes down.  
     “Chat? What’s wrong?” He backs ups fully, pressing himself against the wall as if wanting to hid in the shadows.  
     “I...I think I like someone else…” He whispers, so low she almost doesn’t hear it.  
     “You think?”  
     “Ye-yeah.” Marinette feels the guilt rising up inside her, the warmth from Chat’s body trickling away to be replaced by a slow build of regret. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.  
     “So do I.”  
     “I can’t do this,” he gestures to her, eyes still looking anywhere but at her, “with you when I think...when I think I like someone else.”  
     “Chat…”  
     “It’s not fair on her, and it’s not fair on you either, because I…” He stops and blushes. Marinette backs up a step.  
     “Because?” she asks quietly, the pounding of her heart almost drowning out his next words.  
     “Because I like you too.” His head whips up and he catches her eyes, a resolute expression on his face. Marinette can’t breathe, a million thoughts running through her head, and she’s staring at her partner. The silence stretches out between them like a minefield. He backs up along the wall, towards the edge of the roof, ears tipped downwards. She can’t let him leave like this. Her fingers tighten around her yo-yo.  
     “You don’t have to say anything tonight. I’ll be heading off. I have...stuff to do tomorrow. Goodnight, my Lady.”  
     “Goodnight Chat Noir.” She steps towards the other end of the roof, an eye on the drop, the other on the boy in front of her. He makes as if to leap off the building, and she freezes, but he seems to think over something for a second. Chat turns back to her, a small smile on his face.  
     “I’ll see you tomorrow, if you want?” A pause. Ladybug looked back at her kitten, the way his ears were slightly drooped, the turmoil in his eyes, and all she wants to do is go over to him and hug him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and telling him everything, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words,  
    _I’m Marinette, and I love you, as Chat Noir and as Adrien, and now I know you love me, as Ladybug and as myself._  
 _I love you_  
     “Tomorrow is a long way away, kitty.” She smiles at him, softly, throwing her yo-yo and leaping off the roof, not waiting to hear his response. But as she swung through the night air, the boy she loves left behind on a rooftop in Paris, she whispers to herself the words she wanted to say to him. “But tomorrow will come.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has had enough and Adrien's a little too conscious of the girl who sits behind him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goodness golly gracious i am so sorry about the late update. This past month has been a wreck, and this chapter has been killing me. I actually split this one up into two, so y'all get a little extra. As such, this chapter and the next are going to be a little smaller, but i wanted to give you patient darlings something. 
> 
> à la prochaine, men petits chatons!

Despite the guilt she felt at kissing Chat whilst he was still clueless to her identity, Marinette couldn’t help but feel extraordinarily happy with how the situation had turned out.

He liked her. As Marinette and as Ladybug; he liked  _ her. _

He liked Ladybug enough to kiss her, and he liked Marinette enough to stop kissing Ladybug. 

She really wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know that she knew, that she didn’t mind, that she liked him too. She needed him to realize that she liked the sweet, shy Adrien Agreste, that she always had. And she liked the flirtatious and loyal Chat Noir, a lot more now than before.

Maybe she liked that side of him, the one he showed to her, more than the one he showed to the world.

It was with Adrien in mind that she made her decision. He had to know. Tonight. She would go to his house, talk to him, tell him everything. Of course, tonight was, after all, tonight. First she had to deal with school.

If she was being perfectly honest, the day was torture. She was conscious of his every movement in front of her, the shuffling in his seat when she answered the teacher’s question, his eyes following her as she went up to the board. She was vaguely aware of the fading hickey he’d left on her collarbone, hidden with a blue scarf akin to the one she’d made for his birthday last year.  _ Clue number two _ , she smiled to herself, hoping he’d get it. As she went back to her seat, she felt his gaze on her, though she was uncertain if he was looking at the scarf or the mark underneath it. Unconsciously, his eyes snapped to hers, and he froze, a blush on his face. She summoned up her courage, took a breath, and gave him her best Ladybug smile before hurrying back to her seat, her confidence already drained at the attempt. This boy drove her crazy. How on earth was she going to manage tonight?

Lunch couldn’t come fast enough, but it seemed as if Adrien had difficulty taking his eyes off of her. Not that she was complaining, but it did throw a wrench in her composure. While Alya chatted to her, Marinette would peek across the yard to where Nino and Adrien sat at a bench under a tree. He kept staring at her, then looking away. 

“Did something happen between you and Adrien?” Alya asked suddenly, jarring the girl back to the conversation. 

“I...huh?” She blinked, a surprised expression on her face. Alya smirked.

“You kept looking at him during class, and he can’t keep his eyes off you from over there.” She jerked her head towards where the boys were sitting. “You did something, right? You smiled at him last class, didn’t you?” Marinette could only nod at that. “Whatever it is, he’s paying attention to you. Isn’t that great!?’

“Yeah...yeah it is.” Alya chuckled as her friend blushed and looked down, moving her head so she was turned away from Adrien. 

“So Ladybug’s only been seen during Akuma attacks recently,” she said, giving Marinette a chance to distract herself. “but Chat Noir has been spotted running across the rooftops around here.” Marinette focused on Alya.

“Really?”

The redhead nodded. “Yeah, i’ve had a couple messages about it on the Ladyblog. It’s pretty interesting. I wonder if there’s something going on that we don’t know?”

Marinette smiled. “You could be onto something there.” A nudge at her leg showed Tikki in her purse, smiling at her. Marinette smiled at the kwami, the two sharing a secret smirk. A cough startled her, and she looked back up at her friend. Alya was nodding her head the barest bit in Adrien’s direction. Marinette peeked, and sure enough, the model was staring at her, a small blush dusting his cheeks. They locked eyes, and the girl smiled shyly, waving. Adrien blinked, as if breaking out of a trance, and blushed harder, waving back, faltering when she refused to look away first. . In the corner of her eye she saw Alya gesticulating wildly to Nino. Nino shook his head, and Alya slapped her forehead with an audible  _ smack. _ Marinette grimaced, turning back to her friend. 

Her friend, who was currently glaring at her.

“What was that all about?” Marinette turned away, blushing.

“I don’t know.” She said, heart hammering in her chest. She picked up her sandwich, indicating the end of the conversation. Alya huffed, and Marinette tried to ignore the heat from Adrien’s eyes. She would be so glad when school was over.

Marinette probably did not think this plan completely through. In fact, she muses, had she even thought at all? All she knew was that Adrien deserved to know the truth. And if telling the truth entailed her perching on a chimney across the street from the Agreste mansion, then well, that was a risk she had to take. If someone looked out their window and saw her, a lot of questions would be raised, questions she would be unwilling to answer. So there was that.

There was also the fact that she had no idea where Adrien’s room was. 

“Why the hell is this mansion so big?” she hisses to herself, straightening up and glaring at the multitude of windows. This really was a bad idea. Marinette sighed, swinging her yo-yo into her hand. Maybe she should just come back tomorrow. 

Which is what she would have done if a loud thud sounded behind her.

Marinette squealed, jumping in surprise and nearly falling off the chimney. Automatically, she turned, yo-yo flashing. Chat jumped back with a laugh, hands up in appeasement. 

“Look at what the cat dragged in,” he said with a grin. Ladybug scowled, reeling in her yo-yo.

“Shut up Chat Noir.” He smirked, eyes flicking to the Agreste Mansion behind her.

“What are you doing here, My Lady? Were we supposed to meet up for patrol?” Ladybug shook her head, turning her back to Chat and staring out at the lights of the mansion. Chat came to stand beside her, and she watched him from the corner of her eyes. His face was awashed in an orange glow, the light shining off of his golden hair in a way that made the stars dazzle in her eyes. 

She really loves this boy. 

She also notices when he stiffens, looking to where she’s facing. They stare, together, at the Agreste Mansion for what feels like eons. There is silence. 

“Why are you here, Ladybug?” She doesn’t answer. “Ladybug?” A pause, and then Marinette turns to Chat and smiles, taking his gloved hand. She wants to feel his warmth, feel the heat radiating off of her skin and onto hers, but she has to be patient.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Chat’s eyes go wide. “I...I don’t know what you mean…” he trails off, seeing the truth and recognition in her gaze. “I...how? Why?  _ When? _ ” Her fingers travel up his arm, across his chest, to his neck, his cheek, down to his lips. His eyes follow her every movement, and the moment her finger urges his silence, his eyes snap to hers. Her grin softens. 

“Adrien Agreste, you’re not going to leave a girl out in the cold now, are you?” He stares at her, searching for answers in the sea before him, but she is closed. For now. The black cat grabs his lady's hand, holding it to his lips before letting it fall, his tell-tale smirk making a reappearance.

“No, I’m not.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is afraid and Adrien is not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy

“How did you find out?” Adrien Agreste sits cross-legged on his bed, eyes glued to the red-and-black clad figure perched at his window. She clings to the frame as if it is her last support in life, trying to rack her brain and find the best way to explain everything she wants to explain.

_ I saw you destransform. I  like you. It felt unfair if I knew and you didn’t. I really like you. Also you’ve been kissing my civilian form for the past couple weeks. I’m afraid you won’t like me, even though I know that’s not true _

For some reason, her uneasiness all tied back to that one simple thought. She really liked him. And she wanted him to like her.

“Ladybug?”

“I saw you.” She says suddenly, turning to face him. The last vestiges of her sanity are clinging to the memory of his lips on hers. “Last week. I saw you transform.”

“Last week?” Adrien’s voice is calming and she takes a breath. His eyebrow is quirked up. “You’ve known all this time?” It’s not an accusation.

She nods. “I didn’t tell you because...because I know you.” Adrien straightens at that, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, his bare feet a thud against the wooden floor.

“We...we know each other?” His eyes seem to light up, hope shining in their depths. She can only pray it’s hope for her.

“A little more than we used to, actually.” She breathes a laugh, pushing off the wall and coming to stand a few feet away from him. She longs to touch him, to feel his hair, but she waits. She stares at him, reveling in the way his eyes drift to her lips, to her hair, back to her lips, and then her eyes. He stands, fingers clenched at his sides, and she stills.  _ He’s so much taller than me, _ she thinks, raising her eyes to meet his. One hand reaches out, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, tracing the line of her pigtails. It’s only when he takes his hand away that she notices he’s stepped closer. 

“More than we used to? You’re not Nino, are you?” He asks, eyebrow once again raised and the most Chat-like grin she’s ever seen on his face.

She giggles. “No, not Nino. I’m a little less into music.” 

He purses his lips, as if thinking. “Alya?” Marinette shakes her head.

“I’m not as confident. Nor do I wear glasses.”

“Then you’re not Sabrina either. Chloe?” She opens her mouth, but he continues on. “No, Chloe isn’t as selfless as you.” A giggle. “Or as kind. Or brave. Or loyal. Or smart.” She blushes and looks away, but Adrien gently touches her cheek, bringing her gaze back to his. “Or beautiful.” His thumb is caressing her and her mind has gone blank. It’s only in a haze does she realize that Adrien’s other hand has taken home on her waist, and he has brought her closer. “You are so beautiful.” His head was dipping now, and she felt her heart flutter. “My Lady...my princess.”

The kiss is gentle and sweet, nothing like her last one but incredible all the same. This is Adrien kissing her, and for a single moment she remembers how tongue-tied she got around him, how flustered, but then Chat’s grin crept across her vision and she remembers how this is  _ also  _ Chat, he  _ is  _ Chat, Chat is Adrien and Adrien is Chat and she kisses back, reaching up with her arms and wrapping them around his neck, pulling him in. The sensation of his lips, soft and full, moving against her own makes her head spin. 

Unlike last time, Adrien’s arms wrap completely around her, pulling her flush against him. He is warm, and she is warm, and she feels so safe and protected. He tilts her back a little, mouth opening as he licks her bottom lip, and a whine is forced out of her throat. 

“This is nice and all, but can you let Tikki out? You two are disgusting and I want to play.” Marinette freezes as a small voice pipes up, leaning away from Adrien and peering over his shoulder at the small, black cat with bright green eyes floating just above them. Miffed as she was at the interruption, she giggles. 

“Your kwami?” She asks Adrien.

“Plagg.” He responds with a sigh, glaring over his shoulder at the cheekily-grinning black cat, who only winked at him. Marinette watches him, eyes taking in his annoyed expression, before taking both of his hands in her own. He turns back to her quickly, green gaze on blue.

“I’m going to detransform now.” She whispers. Adrien nods, closing his eyes and squeezing her fingers. She takes a deep breath, shutting her own eyes. “Bugs off!” A flash of pink light shines behind her lids, and she can feel the heat from his hands so much more intensely now. A pause.  _ I don’t want to open my eyes. _ She thinks, suddenly and inexplicably nervous by what she might see. Disgust. Hate. Betrayal. She knows it’s not true and yet her mind refuses to calm down. The warmth on her skin leaves and she flinches, fearing the worst, but in a heartbeat his hands are on her cheeks, thumbs once again stroking, calming. 

“Marinette,” he whispers, oh so close to her face. “Marinette, open your eyes.” And she does, slowly, a warm tingling sensation coursing through her veins where his fingers linger, and meets his brilliant green gaze with her own. He breathes out, eyes wide and searching and shining and all of a sudden she can’t breathe because the look in his eyes isn’t disgust, it isn’t hate, it isn’t betrayal. It’s love, so much love and wonder and delight and she can feel it in her core, and she hopes he can feel it because that’s all she wants him to know, how much she loves him. And she thinks he understands, because he cups her face with one hand, the other winding around her waist, and he leans in, whispering. “Marinette…” he croons, kissing her nose, “my princess.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the kind of epilogue that's not really an epilogue it's just fluff and stuff i guess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who stuck around to see the end of this disaster!! what started out as emotional sinning turned into a garbage story that i actually really loved working on, so thank you!!
> 
> side note: a friend pointed out that having 15 year olds doing the things they're doing in this story is a little weird, so i'm imagining the characters as like 17 ish, but it's never stated specifically so whatever age floats your boat.

The way they fit together felt like fate. Adrien’s arms are wrapped so tightly around her it seemed as if he never wanted to let go, and she’s more than okay with that. They’re tucked together on top of Adrien’s bed, so close she can feel him on every line of her body. She marvels at how with Adrien alone she would have been a blushing disaster, but somehow, now that she can see her silly cat underneath all that forced perfection, she feels more natural. Comfortable.

His breath is warm on her forehead, and she wiggles back, just slightly, so that she can crane her neck and see his face. His arms tighten around her as she does, unpliable, and she giggles.

It’s nice to be wanted.

She reaches out with her hand, running her fingers through his mess of golden hair, staring at the threads as they trickle through.  _ It’s so soft, _ she muses,  _ has it always been this soft? _

Adrien murmurs something, but she misses it. She’s staring at his lips now, tracing the lines with her mind, and impulsively leans forward and pecks her lips against his. It’s a small kiss, a millisecond of a kiss, but she still blushes.

Maybe she was a little disaster.

She can hardly process the thought before suddenly she’s flipped onto her back, pinned by Adrien’s arms and his Chat-like grin.

Not Chat-like.  _ His  _ grin.

“Got you.” He smirks, as if he’s said a horrible pun and he’s waiting for her eyeroll, but she can’t think about that. Instead she thinks about how she should probably shove him off of her, she could and he’d let her, but somehow, her body wasn’t agreeing.  _ Trouble _ , her mind whispered.  _ No, _ screams her heart. The plea is amplified by Adrien’s startling green gaze, the way his legs are warm against her outer thighs, and the part of her brain telling her to stop and think slowly slips away, and all she’s left with are those achingly familiar green eyes. Marinette can’t breathe. Her sweater, slipping off a shoulder when she’d been flipped, one arm gently pressed into the mattress by his scorching hand, and the intense heat in her cheeks did nothing to help her regain her thoughts. 

She could feel warmth. 

Adrien’s eyes suddenly went dark and wide, and she knew he’d felt it too. 

His gaze flickered down to her lips, which she unconsciously licked, to her exposed shoulder, and then, as if on a whim, to the faded hickey on her neck, and he blushed. Hard.

Oh dear.

It was as if a switch had turned on between them. Adrien’s breath turned heavy, and his grip on her wrist faded, instead brushing his hand along her arm, down and then up to cup her cheek, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. His fingers caught in her hair and pulled gently, and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. Time seemed to slow down. Heat is climbing through her body and rendering her helpless to this boy’s touch. He leans in, she tilts up, and suddenly there is a fire in her heart, tearing her apart. 

This kiss is slow at first, slow and languid, and Marinette tries to memorize everything about him: his taste, his lips, the softness of his hair between her fingers, the gentleness of his hand as it caresses her cheek. He licks her lips, teasing, shy, and Marinette groans, fingers in his hair pausing only to tighten their grasp, pulling him down, down, into the inferno. 

The mood changes in a heartbeat, the kiss no longer sweet but hungry, no longer warm but blazing. He bites her lip, sucking gently before moving his kisses down her chin, across her neck, to the faded hickey he’d placed there last time. His movements slow, nuzzling the area with his nose before tilting his head and latching onto the same spot with such ferocity that Marinette gasps, back arching against his body. A low sound comes from the boy, humming against her skin, and she squirms, the rush of sensations causing her slowly forming thoughts to dispel in a flurry of eyelashes and sloppy kisses. Adrien released her skin, blowing softly on the fresh new mark, and proceeded to bite and kiss down her skin, not leaving any hickeys but coming close all the same. He stops just above the lining of her sweater, pushing it down slightly to place a new mark where it could be hidden. Marinette shuffled, displeased at the way his lips seemed to be ignoring her own, tugging on his hair. He laughed into her skin, nose brushing his new target, and she hummed, annoyed. 

She was letting him take control.

She tugs, more firmly, and he complies, bringing his lips back to hers and moaning in surprise when she slipped her tongue in. Marinette wonders, briefly, if she was even kissing him right, but then he leans forward, supporting himself with one hand and grasping onto her arm with the other, and she kind of stops thinking about that. His tongue dances against hers, syncopating into a rhythm that leaves her breathless. They are closer now, and it was getting hotter, and when Adrien sucks on her tongue her hips jolt, brushing against something that had both teenagers freezing in surprise. They lock eyes, and Adrien seems to swell up in embarrassment, his face going redder and redder, but Marinette chuckles, softly at first, then louder and harder. After a moment Adrien joins in, leaning to the side so that he falls back onto the bed, leaving space between them as they laugh and laugh and laugh, until she can’t breathe from a different type of happiness.

His left arm is stretched over her, cupping around her hip, the right lying between them. Marinette knows that he needs a minute to come down, but she lifts up her left hand, reaching up to the sky. She stares at her fingers, marveling at how moments before they were stringing through her crush’s hair. Adrien’s arm, the one lying between them, shifts, above her head and behind so that it’s tucked beneath her neck. She curls into his embrace. His other arm moves up, clasping her hand in his, dwarfing her hand in his own, the cold metal of his Miraculous biting into her warm flesh. 

The two teens lay there for a moment, breathes slowly calming, staring at their interlocked fingers. Adrien strokes her hand with his thumb, turning his head so that he’s facing her. She follows suit, twisting, and Marinette is suddenly struck with the intimacy of the scene. His eyes are shining, filled with a love and joy she’s never seen before, a tender warmth that has her heart swelling for her black cat. 

This boy, this beautiful, wonderful boy, had lived without a deep and tangible love for so long. Her fingers tighten in their grasp, as if unwilling to let go.  _ Forever _ , she thinks,  _ I will hold your hand for forever _ .

Adrien smiles, slowly, and kisses her nose, dropping his head onto her own, his breathes evening out. Marinette shivers as his arms wrap tightly around her, not from cold but from the extreme sense of  _ belonging. _

This is where she belongs. With him. With her partner. She will protect him from anything that could hurt him. He would do the same for her.

He sighs, and Marinette settles in his arms, eyes slipping closed. Let the world bring what it may. 

She can wait until tomorrow.


End file.
